Photo © Simon Curson
Palm Moth
Paysandisia archon
Checklist Number51.0001 [B&F: 0384a]
Verification
Record will require further evidence, at least a good photograph, unless CMR is aware recorder has confidence in identification
Classification
| Family: | Castniidae |
| Subfamily: | Castniinae |
| Genus: | Paysandisia |
| Species: | archon |
| Authority: | (Burmeister, 1880) |
Recorded infrequently through accidental importation in palm trees. Originally a native of Argentina, the species has a long history of establishment in Europe, finally becoming widespread in France and Spain in the mid 1990s. On 13 August 2002, first recorded in Britain in warm sunny weather at Bosham, West Sussex; subsequently four live adults were found indoors in May 2007 in an office building in Kent, having emerged from a 5m tall Canary Island Date Palm. Two individuals were reported from the Isle of Wight in 2021. Wingspan 90-110 mm. Larva feeds within stems and trunks of palm trees, over-wintering once as a larva and once as a pupa.
The abundance in each month is indicated as follows:
No records
Very occasional
Irregular
Uncommon
Off-peak, but not unusual
Off-peak, but not unusual
Main flight time| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Larval | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Records by week (adult)
Records by week (larval)
VC10 Isle of Wight
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowes (SZ49) | 11/09/2021 | one | Holli Kalina | Adult |
| Cowes (SZ49) | 15/09/2021 | one | R Spencer | Adult |
| Forest View Nursery, Newport (SZ48) | 23/08/2022 | one | Kevin Lover | Adult |
